Alfredas Kulpa-Kulpavičius (March 28, 1923 – May 16, 2007) was a Lithuanian architect and artist best known for his work on Canadian churches.

Biography

Kulpa-Kulpavičius was born in

Baisogala Baisogala is a small town in Lithuania. It is situated on the crossroads of Kėdainiai–Šeduva and Raseiniai–Šeduva roads. According to the 2011 census, it had 2,034 residents. History Baisogala is first mentioned in written sources in 1 ...

. Between 1941 and 1943, he studied at

Vytautas Magnus University Vytautas Magnus University (VMU) (, VDU) is a public university in Kaunas, Lithuania. The university was founded in 1922 during the interwar period as an alternate national university. Initially it was known as the University of Lithuania, but ...

and from 1942 to 1943 at the Kaunas Institute of Applied Arts. In 1944, he moved to

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

and studied at

Leibniz University Hannover Leibniz University Hannover (), also known as the University of Hannover, is a public university, public research university located in Hanover, Germany. Founded on 2 May 1831 as Higher Vocational School, the university has undergone six period ...

from 1946 to 1948, and the Darmstadt Technical University from 1948 to 1952. Beginning in 1952, he lived in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, where he established his architectural company in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

. Kulpa-Kulpavičius was responsible for work on many buildings, many of them churches. These include Our Lady's Church,

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

(1952), St. St. Casimir's Church,

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

and St. Gregory's Church, Toronto (1959), Lithuanian Martyrs' Church,

Mississauga Mississauga is a Canadian city in the province of Ontario. Situated on the north-western shore of Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Peel, it borders Toronto (Etobicoke) to the east, Brampton to the north, Milton to the northwest, ...

, Providence of God Church and Cultural Center,

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

and St. Thomas Church,

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

(1978), Corporation Canadien Tire Building, Toronto (1979) etc. He was also the creator of small-scale architectural structures such as crosses and tombstones and built a collection of Canadian

Inuit Inuit (singular: Inuk) are a group of culturally and historically similar Indigenous peoples traditionally inhabiting the Arctic and Subarctic regions of North America and Russia, including Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwe ...

stone sculptures. He returned to Lithuania in 2006.

References

1923 births 2007 deaths Lithuanian architects Lithuanian sculptors Leibniz University Hannover alumni Vytautas Magnus University alumni Lithuanian expatriates in Germany Lithuanian emigrants to Canada {{Lithuania-sculptor-stub